Collapsible stool



lMay. 1,3, 1923, I

1,448,171 A. w. wADr-:RLOW l COLLAPSIBLE STOOL Filed Apr. 22, 192]. 2 sheets-sheet l yg-i. i Y

l l 'iiiiiiiml gwuentoz Patented Mar. 13, 1923. l v

OFFICE..

ALEXANDER W. WADER-LOW, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

COLLAPSIBLE STOOL.

Application filed April 22,

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER W. Wamm- LoW, a subject of the King of Great Britain,

residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Stools, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In my Patent No. 1,365,873, granted Jan. 18, 1921, there is disclosed a collapsible stool seat provided with an adjustable tele-v scopic pedestal and legs that may be housed within the pedestal, the legs when in an active position having a tripod formation at the base of the pedestal with a detachable retaining member holding the legs dis-r ble stool and the improvements may be characterized as follows;

First, there may be extended to accommodate the legs of the stool and retracted to provide a comparatively short pedestal for the stool when in an active position. In making the pedestal telescopic and pivotally mounting it on the lower face of the seat, it is possible to place the extended pedestal and its legs in parallelism with the stool seat, so that the collapsed stool will occupy comparatively small space in being carried or in storage. In being able to shorten the length of the pedestal a comparatively low and substantial stool structure is obtained which maybe advantageously use d in automobiles or other vehicles for carrying extra passed gers.

Another feature of the present invention is a leg supporting head which is devoid of detachable parts, for instance, the detachable retaining member disclosed in my prior patent. The leg supporting head, in. this invention, has novel means forl retaining the tripod legs of the stool extended or retracted, and with such means constantly in engagement 'with the leg supporting head is a telescopic pedestal which 1921. Serial No. 463,445.

there is no danger of parts becoming displaced or lost during the use ofthe stool.

Other features of my invention will here# inafter appear and reference will now be had to the drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a side'elevation of the stool ``in an .active position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of a portion of thestool seat showing a portion ofthe telescopic pedestal therein;

Fig. 3 isa vertical sectional view ofthe lower portion of the collapsible stool, showthe legs thereof distended;

Fig. 4 is a cross `sectional view taken on `the line IV--IV of Fig. 2, looking towardsthe Astool seat; v

Fig. 5 is a bottomV plan ofthe leg sup-` porting head shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of al portionof lelism with the stool seat, and

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan of the stool seat the pedestal in parallelism with the stool seat.

`the stoolshowing the pedestal in paraly showing the leg's within the pedestal andl In the drawings, the reference numeral 1 denotes the stool seat, preferably circularv in plan and made of one or more pieces of wood or durable material. l The lower face of this stool seat is provided with a centrally located socket plate 3, preferably trif i angular in plan and connected to the stool 1 seat by screws 2 or other fastening means. That face of the socket plate 3 lconfront-` ing the stool seat 1 is provided with a cylinv drical socket 4 extending into a recess` 5 provided therefor in the stool seat 1, and the outer face of the socket plate has opposed lugs 6 and 7 'connected byv a semicircular enlargement Son the socket plate 3, said enlargement serving as a stop for the pedestal when swinging the pedestal from an inactive position to an active position` The lug 7 is provided with an opening 9 and the llug 6 with a recess 10. Communicating with the inner end of the opening 9 is a longitudinally disposed slot 11 extending into the socket 4, and said socket has an an nular seat 12 for the upper end of the telescopic pedestal, which consists of an outer tubular member 13 and an inner. tubular member 14. The upper end of the outer tuseat 12 when in an active position, 'and said tubular member has one wall thereof provided with a stud 15 held by va rivet 16, said stud extending into the slot 11 and, at times,

extending axially or the opening 9 of the lug 7. The opposite wall of the outer member 13 has spaced openings 17 and 18 connected by a longitudinal slot 19 and adaptedt'o extend into either or the openings 17 and 18 is al conical shaped latch 21 slidable openings 17 or 18, depending on the position or the oute-r tubular member 13 relative to the socket 4.

The lower end of the outer tubular mem` ber 13 `is provided .with a truste-conical shaped leg supporting head25 having a plurality or radially disposed openings 26 communicating with the interior of the tubular outer member In the openings26 are placed legs 27 tha-t may be shifted into the telescopic pedestal when thesame is distended, as shown in Fig. 7. vEach of the' legsy 2G is preferably in the form of a rod having aconical inner end 28 provided with a transverse'pin 29 and 'anannular groove 30. The outer end of each leg has an annula'r groove 31 and an airgularly disposed floor or ground engaging tace 32. The conical inner ends 28 'of the legs 27 permit or' the inner ends of the legs being'A clustered or closely assembled so that said legs may bear against angular-ly disposed walls 33 of the openings 26 and :the angularity or the walls 33 determine the angle of the legs 27 relative 'to the longitudinal axis of the pedestal.

'The transverse pins 29 serve two purposes in connection with the legs 27. First, said pins will prevent rotation of thelegs -27 and at all times maintain the faces 32 correctly positioned to engage a floor orthe'ground. Second, the pins 29 will prevent the legs'27 from vvfalling out ofthe le'g supporting head 25, but other devices are also-employed for this-purpose, as willnowbe described. y

Protruding into each one of the openings '26 is'a spring pressed detent 34 preferably in the iorm of a ball yieldably mounted in a socket or recess 35 horizontally disposed within the leg supporting head 25. Each detent is pressed by a spring 36 retained within the socket 35 by acountersunk screw plug 37, and Aeach detent serves two purposes. First, the detents are adapted to engage in the grooves'31 at theouter ends oi the legs 27 and retain 'said legs within the telescopic pedestal, as shown in Fig. 7. Second, ,the location of the detents 34 is such that said dethe stool off or its sup.port,rand if some f means were not provided for holding the legs in proper relation to the `telescopic pedestal so that the stool could be easily placed on its support. l

Cooperating with the leg supporting head v 25 tor holding the legs 27 extended and in an active position are spring pressed keep'- ers 38 arranged in sockets 39 and protruding into the openings 26, so that said keepers may engage in the annular lgrooves 30 or' the legs'27 and vhold the legs in set positions.

The inner tubular member 14 has its lower end opened to receive the legs `27 and the upper or inner end oi the member l14 is closed by an end cap 40. W'hen the legs 27 impinge against the end cap 40, the inner member '14 maybe shifted rela-tive to the outer member 11:3 so rthat the telescopic pedestal may accommodate the Tlegs 27 as shown in Fig. .7, and the inner member 14 may be gripped and shifted into 4the 'outer member 13 to assist in distending l'the legs 27 relative to the legs supporting head 25. To yprevent the inner member 14 from 1rotating relative Ato the outer member 13, said inner Imember ,has a `longitudinal depression or groove 41 to receive :the `rivet -116 of the stud 15.`

Considering thevpedestal connection 'with the socket 4, 'it will `be noted by reference tor Fig. l2 that the latch 21 lretains. the outer member 13 on the seat 12 vwithin the socket 4 and that the stud l-extendsinto the slot 11 of the socket. Theoutermember l13 mayA be pulled outwardly until the :latch 21 ,engages in the opening l18 of the outer member, at whichftime thestud 15 alines with the opening 9-and the outer member 13fmay beswun-g toward the lower :face vof the 'seat y1 to assume a .position `practically fin ipar-A allelism therewith, for instance, :as shown in Figs. G'and 7. With the outermember 13 in this position .the `le-gs 27 maybe pushed into the inner member 14 and said member extended relative to the outer member 13. The telescopic pedestal willthere'fore be ieldat its middle portion and cannoty swing to a vertical position until the telescopic pedestal is collapsed. y

Againreferring'to Fig. 2, it-will be note that the seat 12'v and-the walls ofthe socket .4 retain'the outer member "13 Eatfa right angle tothe seat 1so`that the upper end off-the pedestal will be rigidly held while the seat is being occupied. Since the legs 27 are..

firmly held by the head 25, the stool may be safely used and by reason of its short pedestal it may be placed on the floor of an automobile body to aord an additional seat for an extra'passenger. lapsible and may be easily carried under one of the automobile seats or placed in the automobile kit so as to be convenient for increasing the. carrying-capacity of an automobile Without any great discomfort to other occupants of the machine.

One embodiment of my invention has been illustrated, but it is to be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such variations and modifications as fall Within the scope of the appended claims.

l. A stool having a seat, a pedestal outer member constantly connected to said seat and sWingab-le into parallelism With said seat and With its outer end terminating approximately at lthe edge of said seat, an inner member in said outer member extensible relative to said outer member only when The rstool is col-` said outer member is parallel to said seat, and'legs for sald outer member adapted to be housed by said inner and o-uter members.

active are extended relative to said pedes-v tal, and when inactive housed ywithin said pedestal.

4. A stool as in claim 3, wherein said pedestal vWhen inactive is disposedin parallelism With said seat.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

ALEXANDER WADERLOVVV.

- Witnesses:

' KARL H. BUTLER, ANNA M. DoRR. 

